Diaphragm-pump.



0 l 9 1 7| n2 .PE LMN AUM EP NMW. Momu .Rm Gmo Lun Dm I L P P A PatentedMar. 7, 1911.`

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

hm, Wmf/ L. C. MGNEAL. DIAPHRAGM PUMP. APPLIGATIN FILED JUNE 27, 1910.

Patented Mar. 7, 191.-

Specication of Letters Eatent.

e. ne, or Boomsma, New Yoan.

:u .L ern-P.

raeeaeea ai. e, ieri.

Application le .Tune 27, 1910. Serial Ne. 599,@1.

plumps of the type in which a flexible diap ragm is employed in place ofa piston.

The object of the invention generally stated, is to produce a pump oiVthis kind which shall be simple in construction and efoient inoperation. To these ends my improved diaphragm-pump is so constructedthat oscillatin' movements are substituted for reciprocatmg orslidingmovements in the mechanism by which the dia hragm is.

actuated., A pump so constructed 1s particularly adapted .foruse as anair-pump, and .furthernovel features' of the invention reside in theform' of the pump-casing, by means of which it is adapted to coperatewith the novel form of'diaphra ,the means for producing a Huid-tightjolnt at the" pivotal supporting-point of the diaphragm-mechanism, andthe novel form of valve bywhich the inlet and outlet-passages of thepump-casing are controlled. Y

In the accoml anying drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudine7 verticalsection on the line 1-1 in Fig. `2, of a pneumatic cleaning-deviceembodying a pump constructed in4 accordance with the present invention;Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1, looking from leftto rightin said figure; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View of two of the airvalves em loyed in connection with the pump; an Fig. 4 is a section onthe line 4-4 1n Fig.` 3, looking upward in said' figure.

The illustrated embodiment of my invention comprise a diaphragm having adexible marginal portion and a comparatively rigid middle portion, thelatter being pivotally mounted so as. to oscillate from side to side ofthe general plane of the diaphragm. The dexible marginal portioncomprises a sheet 5 of leather, or other suitable material, while therigid portion comprises a plate 6, preferably of metal, which is pivotedupon a horizontal axis by means of trunnions 7 projectin rom the lateraledges of the plate t3.l socet 8 extends from the upper edge of the plateand is adapted to receive a handle 9 which may be of any convenientlength. The rigid portion of the diaphragm comprises also two thin metalplates 10 and 11 which areolam ed on either side of the plate 6 by meanso screw-bolts 1 2, and these plates serve as means for securing therigid and flexible portions of the diaphra together, as the middleportion of the eather 5 is clamped vbetween the plates 10 and 6, as'shown'in Fig. 1.

The diaphragm above described is mounted within a casing which comprisesa bodyvportion 13 and an endportion 14. These two portions of the casingare joined, in the plane of the diaphragm, by means of flanges 15 on therespectlve parts secured together by screw-bolts 16. The edgesV of theleather 5 are interposed between the flanges 15, and in this manner thediaphragm is held securel in place and is caused to divide the casinginto two pumpchambers.

To prevent the escape of air from the pump-chambers at the pivotalsupport of the rigid diaphragm-member the u per margin 17 of the sheet 5extends beyon the plate 10 and is bent outwardly upon the top of thecasing, as shown in Fig. 1. A metal plate 18 is clamped down upon themargin 17 by means of screws 19, and in this way.

is prevented the escape of air at this point Vfrom the space betweenthediaphragm and the end-portion 14 of the casing. To perform thecorresponding function for the other pump-chamber a second sheet 20 offlexible material is clamped between the plate 6 and the plate 11, andthe sheet 20 as its upper margin 21 clamped against the upper surface ofthe casing by means of the late 18, `.which extends entirely around t eplate rfor this purpose. l

'lhe trunnions 7 ofthe diaphragm are journaled in bearingfblocks 23which are mounted upon the clamping-plate 1'8. This plate carries alsotwo buffers 24 of rubber, or other resilient material, which are engagedby lugs 25 on o posite sides of the plate 6 to limit the osci latingmovement of the diaphragm.

The end portion 14 of the casing is inclined downwardly and outwardly soas to conform roughlyto the position occupied by the diaphragm in itsvextreme left-hand position, and the indy-portion of the casing 1sprovided with a artition 26 which occupies a similarrelation with thediaphragm when the latter is in itsl extreme right-hand position. Inlthis manner pump-chambers are produced in which the clearance-space islimited, as is desirable to secure positive pump is controlled.

action in the pump. To further limit the clearance-space the lowercorners of the pump-chambers are partly filled by sheetmetal boxes 27and 28 which have the further function of valve-chambers for the valvesby which the flow of air through the lThe valve-chamber 27 (Fig. 1) isdivided by a vertical partition 29, andthe valvechamber, this actionbeing produced chamber 28 is similarly divided by a partition 30. Thevalve-chamber 27 is provided, at'one side of the'partitionl 29, with aninletvalve 31, and at the other side with an outlet-valve 32, land thevalve-chamber-28 is provided with corresponding valves 33 and- 34. Airis admittedl from the right-hand Iside of the partition 26=in thepump-casing through-an opening 35, and is then drawn throu h thevalve-chamber 28 and through the et-valve 33 into the right-hand pumpy te left-hand movement of the diaphragm to the position shown Fig. 1. Atthe same time air is expelled from the left-hand pum chamber through theoutlet-valve 32, an4 the air so expelled escapes from the valvechamber28 through a suitable opening (not shown) in the bottom of the casing.Upon the movement of the diaphragm in the opposite direction air isdrawn into the lefthand pump-chamber through the inlet-valve 31, thisair being supplied to the valvechamber 27 through a tube 37 connectingthe valve-chamber with the body of the casing 13, as shown in Fig. 1. Atthe same time air is expelled from the right-hand v pump-chamber throughthe outlet-valve 34 v plates 4l and 42 which are pivot chamber 27 or'28adjacent to two openings 39 in the wall which constitute the inlet oroutlet openings, as the case may be. IIhe flexible material 38 issecured only at its middle portion, by means of studs 40 fixed the wall,

so that the ends of the liexible material are free to rnove toward andfrom the surface of the partition and thus to act as flap-valves tocontrol `the two openings, respectively. In addition to the iiexibleportion each Vvalve comprises two substantiallyd metal studs 40 so as tohave a limited pivotal movement with theA iexible portion 38.

upon the- I Each of these plates is provided with an' up-Wardly-extending arm 43, and a rod 44 passes 'loosely through openingsin the two arms, being secured therein by heads at its ends. Upon therod 44 is a compressionspring 45 Ywhich engages the arms 43 at itsrespective ends. l

The valve construction above described is such that both ends 'of theflexible valvemember 38 are held to their seats with substantially-equalpressure, owing to the fact that the action of the spring 45 on theplates -41 and 42is necessarily equal,`whate ver the position of thevalvemay be. This arrangement has' the further advantage that the valvemay be vquickly and convenient-ly removed from its position when nessaryfor cleaning or repair. To this end the openings 48 which engage thestuds 40 are made of key-hole form, so that by slightly compressing thespring 45 and moving the plates 41 and' 42 toward each other thelargeends of the openings may be brought beneath the heads of the studs40, and the plates may then be at once -removed from thestuds, thuspermitting convenient access to, or removal of, the flexiblepart 38 ofthe valve.

. The inclined position of the front walls of the valve-chambers 27 'and28, in addition to restricting the clearance-space in the pump-chambersas above described, has the further advantage that it tends to maintainthe valves free from any particles ofdust or dirt which might otherwiseremain'upon the valves or the valve-seats and which Wouldinterfere withtheir operation.

In the drawings the pump hereinafter described is shown as used inconnection` with a vacuum-cleaning device, as it is -particularlyadapted for such use.- In this connection the casin 13 is provided witha dustbag 46' to which dust-laden air is supplied through an inlet 47.The air is drawn through the vdust-bag into the casing and thencethrough the pump in the manner above described. It will be understoodthat the invention is n ot limited to employment in connectionI with avacuum-cleaning de vvice, but that the novel pump may be employed invarious connections and for pumping various fluids.

By the peculiar form and construction of the diaphragm and `the pivotalmounting of its rigid portion the mechanism of the pump issimplied,since a single rigid mechanical element or member, comprising both therigid portion of the diaphragm and the lever by which it is actuated,constitutes the entire mechanism of the diaphragm, and in this manneralso the friction of .the mechanism is greatly reduced, since slidingjoints are entirelyleliminated. The flexible marginal portion of thediaphragm is made suiiiciently loose, as shown in Fig. 1, to permit asubstantial movement of the diaand the construction as a Whole is such.V

eener? phragm to either side of its median position,

that the diaphragm .may move equal distances in opposite directions soas to operate eiectively as a double-acting pump. t will be obvious,however, that the same diaphragm may be employed as an element of asingle-acting pump where sach an arrangement may be preferable.

l claim l. A diaphragm-pump having, in combination, a casing, and adiaphragm comprising. a loose, iexible, marginal portion se cured at itsedges to the casing, and a comparatively rigid middle portion pivotedupon the casing substantially in the piane of the diaphragm and free tooscillate to opposite sides of said plane.,

2. A diaphragm-pump having, in combination, a casing, a diaphragmcomprising a loose exible, marginal portion secured at its edges to thecasing, and a comparatively `rigid middle portion pivoted upon thecasing sulostantiallv .in the plane of the diaphragm, and a iexihledond-ti ht connection between the casing and the iaphragm adjacent tothe pivotal support of the latter.

3. A diaphragm-pump having, in combination, a casing, and a diaphralocated in the casin and dividing the atter into two Yplump-c iambers,the diaphra |1- oomprising a loose, iiexible, margine portion secured atits edges to the casing, and a comparatively. rigid middle portionpivoted adjacent to one Wall of the casing and substantially in theplane ofthe diaphragm, said e portion pivoted u on the casing 1 45substantially in the plane oQthe diaphragm, and a second sheet offlexible lmaterial connecting said rigid portion with the casingadjacent to the pivot-al axis of the diaphi-agili.

5. A diaphragm-pump having, in comiiination, a diaphragm, a casingprovided with two openings, and a valve controllinfr said Openings andcomprising two'pivota members adapted to close the openings,respectively, and a single spring connected at its ends with saidmembers respectively so as to have e ual action thereon.

6. A diap ragni-pump having, in come bination, a diaphragm, a casingprovided with two openings, and a valve controlling said openin s, saidvalve comprisin plates provi ed with openings at their adgacent edges,studs upon Whlch said plates are pivotally mounte connected at its endswith said plates, respectively, and operating both to hold the valve inclosed position and to maintain the plates inen gement with said studs.`

UTHER C. MCNEA'L.

Witnesses:

D. GURNEE, L.v THoN.

two

and a single spring,

